New Blog

Hey bitches. Haven't been writing much lately due to new financial endeavors on the horizon. Cross your fingers for me. I may yet be able to make my lifelong dream of ditching a real job and doing whatever I want come true.

Anyhoo, got me a new blog set up for readin'. It's all about doing shit. Yep, doing shit. Or as I like to call it, rambling. Going new places, eating new food, fishing new rivers, you know.

The act of rambling and the thought of rambling pretty much consumes me. Instead of working in between four grey walls, catering to the general public (which, trust me, all suck) I find myself day dreaming about going wherever I feel like, doing whatever I feel like.

Rambling, for me, revolves around traveling. Traveling to new or forgotten places and experiencing everything that I can possibly experience. Many times, the travel destination ends up being close to a river, lake, or trail. But sometimes it's just nice to meander across a new landscape, stopping along the way to eat some great food, sample some wine, take some pictures, and meet some new folks. All of that, which is the art of rambling, makes me grin from ear to ear.

So hopefully my new blog will help you get out and do what you can to experience what's out there. Whether you have kiddos or not, whether you live in an "interesting" place or not, or whether you feel consumed by the creeping death that is real life, you should make it a point to ramble around from time to time and see just what the hell is out there.

And if you feel like it, I would absolutely love for others out there to share their ramblings with me. You see, my new blog is not only intended to inspire y'all, but it's meant to motivate me to get out there and not let myself get caught up in all the day-to-day bullshit. I don't really have time for that, so I'm fighting diligently to replace it with fun and adventure. Join me, won't you?

Oh yea, it's http://www.ramblinearl.blogspot.com/.

Please enjoy.



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Green Fuzzies.

Every one of us has certain moments or feelings in our lives that we replay in our heads from time to time that make us grin and give us warm fuzzies. Our "happy place" perhaps.

I've written about some of mine on this website before, and luckily for me I was able to experience a few of them earlier this week during my St. Pat's celebrations. Allow me to foreshadow a bit...

My St. Patrick's Day festivities are very close and dear to my heart. I've grown up learning to treat St. Pat's as if it were able to kick Christmas' ass. March 17th is a day that you plan months ahead of time for...or at least the celebratory weekend preceding or following it is. At my house, there was enough delicious food to feed a fat army and our kitchen counter resembled a tavern.

You see, my dad graduated from the University of Missouri-Rolla, aka the Missouri School of Mines (mines, not mimes). It is a college where future engineers go, which is what my dad has been since 1969 or so. UMR celebrates St. Pat's unlike anyone else in the state, or possibly the Midwest. The rationale behind the celebration is that St. Patrick was the patron saint of engineers...whatever the fuck that means. So greenness and debauchery ensued every month of March in Rolla. After I was born, I was quickly introduced to this holiday and when I was "old enough" to participate, my friends and I joined my parents and family in this delightful, green holiday.

This year I was unable to attend the traditional St. Patrick's Day festivities in Springfield due to a lack of funds caused by back-to-back trips to Missouri earlier in the year. The success of Dokken Day followed by my Granny's death forced me to fly into St. Louis on consecutive weekends. I wouldn't have missed either one of them for the world, though. That left my wife and I a little light in the wallet, so we decided to carry on the tradition in Denver the best that we knew how.

I won't get into all the details and descriptions of my St. Pat's Saturday in downtown Denver. But it did bring more than one moment that made me stop what I was doing for a second and smile. Surrounded by good people, no inhibitions, beautiful weather, a fantastic parade, competing against my wife at chugging Car Bombs, drinking green beer, dressed like green royalty...

There was definitely one instance while sitting at the bar, extremely hazy from the marathon of consumption, I (along with our good friend, Sig, who lasted the entire 11 hour duration) just lost my ass for the eighth consecutive time at a Car Bomb race to April, that I smiled to myself, satisfied that although we were unable to be with our friends and family in Springfield that we were representing all that was St. Pat's in a city where we know few. The attached picture proves that.

Fast forward to the following Wednesday; actual St. Patrick's Day. I happened to have the day off, but instead of repeating my downtown Denver drunkenness, I opted for the mountains. My squirrelly friend, Ted and I hiked into the Williams Fork Canyon for a little fly fishing.

Now, this feeling had nothing to do with St. Pat's or drinking or anything like that. It had to do with what makes me addicted to fly fishing. It's the type of feeling that you envision when you have cabin fever, or when you start reminiscing about particular fish you caught. Not because they were big fish, but because you caught them the right way. You figured out what bugs were flying around and landing on the water, and then getting slurped from underneath the surface by a hungry, brown predator below. The angle, the cast, the presentation, the drift, the mend, all perfect. Then you are rewarded by a spotted mouth breaking the clean, reflective surface and inhaling your dry fly. It's not over yet, because the angle of the set was perfect, the head pull from left to right, giving her some slack, and then bringing her in delicately after a valiant fight to a soft net. A couple quick snap shots, then I help her regain her breath by slowly pulling her back and forth in the water to get the oxygen flowing through her gills.

Directly after watching her swim away free and unharmed, I took a minute to smile, laugh, thank greater beings (ie: fish gods) and enjoy a brief, but extremely deep and defining moment.

All that...all that happened in the matter of three minutes. And I immediately knew--I actually said to myself out loud, "I'm gonna remember this one." Yea, she was good sized, but everything leading up to the landing was what sticks.

This year I missed out on hanging out with my friends and family from back home. But I was generously compensated by having one the best St. Pat's weeks of my life. Yes, change is good. But I'll still be back in Springfield next March.




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Vague Ramblings on Happiness.

I'm happy as shit. I've got a lot of things to be thankful for, and I do not take any of them for granted.

But I'm ready to take happiness to the next level. There are certain things in my life that do not make me happy, and I am currently striving to take those out of my life and replace them with more things that make me happy. Selfish? I don't know, maybe. I really don't care. If I can incorporate all the things in this world that make me happy, then why not give it a shot?

The things that I'm not completely satisfied with are simple. They are things that we, as a society, generally put up with because they're "just part of life". I completely understand that. But wouldn't it be relatively awesome to just eliminate those things altogether so you don't have to worry about them anymore?

Obviously, working at a job that does not make you feel alive inside is one of them. Now, I've got a cool job...for the most part. Compared to other jobs I've had and jobs that some of my peers have, it's really not bad. But in all honesty, I put up with it because it's "just part of life". Well, the way I see it, my job takes up over 2/3s of my time on this planet. I've done the math. That's not including getting ready for work, commuting back and forth, any overtime, time worrying about work, time medicating because of work, and so on. So basically any of my free time is spent trying to avoid work and doing things to take my mind off of work.

"Jeez, get another job." you might say. I've had other jobs...about 70 or so other jobs. They are all the same, to me at least. I am essentially forfeiting approximately 80% of my time on this planet and dedicating it to someone else's business, so in turn they can pay me what they think I'm worth (which apparently has never been much) so I can afford to buy a house that I don't spend near enough time at (because I'm at work), gas money to get to and from work, booze to help me forget about work, and a little left over to cram some funness into my week.

I'm not bitching. Honestly. It's not my current job, or any other job I've had. It's just the mentality that I, and most everyone else that I know have. Thinking about that does not make me happy. But it motivates me.

I am currently motivated to completely flip this part of life upside down. The time that I spend working needs to be for greater reasons. Reasons that will also make me happy.

My motivation is to work towards being 100% happy, not continuing to talk myself into being 80% content. There are things that I want to happen, and they aren't just going to happen on their own. So in order to make them happen, I've got to figure out a way to make a substantial chunk of money in order to produce freedom for me and the people involved. But that means of making money has got to be very enjoyable as well...hence being happy 100% of the time.

It's not necessarily money that is motivating me to make an entrepreneurial leap, it's the happiness. Sure, I'm very happy now. We've covered that. But this leap is to take the happiness factor to the next level. I'm attempting to see just how much happiness I can cram into my life.

Just to reiterate; I am a very happy person. Could I be happier, though? Sure. So I'm going to make myself--and the people around me--even happier. Everyone I know could stand to be a little happier, so that's what is going to happen.

In order to accomplish this feat, I am going to have to travel, possibly extensively. You see, I am very close to my friends and family, but I don't live close to them. I live 775 miles away from the majority of them. "Then why don't you move back?" you might ask. Because I love the mountains and rivers of Colorado and I don't want to move away from it, that's why. So in order to split my time between Colorado and Missouri, I've got to make enough money and create enough time to allow me to travel back and forth. That, or incorporate the traveling into a career. That is precisely what I am going to do. Living and playing in Colorado makes me happy. But staying close to my friends and family also makes me happy, so I've got to do both. This is going to require money, and with any job I've ever had this is not going to be feasible. So I figure that I'll kill two birds with one stone. I'll stop working these low paying, pointless, mundane jobs that kill my soul and start paving my own path as a business owner...and with this new career path, I will be able to incorporate travel and make substantial cash--both, which will allow me to see the people that I love more.

So, right there are two things that would definitely make me happier.

Other things that I can think of might include traveling to places I've never been and experiencing things I've never experienced. Kind of like vacations. Well, I'm banking on this new endeavor to allow me to do that, too. Lots, hopefully. It'd be kind of cool to get paid for taking vacations, huh? It sure would.

So, to review: Taking out mundane, low paying job; lack of time to spend with loved ones, inability to travel and experience...and replacing it with new, exciting career path that includes travel, the outdoors, and potential to earn a fine living thus allowing me and my wife to visit out-of-town loved ones, experience new places and cultures, and ensure that the people we care about most are taken care of.

Money doesn't buy happiness? That's bullshit. But you have to first appreciate the small things and love what you have. Then I think it's fine to want to take it to the next level. There's nothing wrong with being motivated by money; as long as you are using that money to pay for plane tickets to see your family, or creating more time to spend with your wife, or making sure your kids get a great education. You've got to have the right things in sight. Not solid gold houses and rocket cars. Me, I want all the people that I dig the most to share extreme happiness with me. Like I said, everyone I know is very happy, very appreciative, and somewhat content with how the world works. But if I can provide time together, less worries, a more meaningful and enjoyable way to provide for your family, and more time to create more experiences and long lasting memories, then why not?

I might as well try.


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Dead Horse.

I've been really feeling the need to do quite a bit lately.

Yea, I know I'm beating a dead horse. I'm always talking about the "things I'm gonna do" and how "we're not getting any younger" and what not. Well, it's true goddammit.

At the ripe ole' age of 36, I'm already starting to feel the pressure. Sure, I wouldn't change a thing in my life. Everything I've experienced up to now has prepared me for whatever comes next. But it's time to start living.

I am trying to perfect the art of incorporating as much fun into my life as humanly possible without overkilling it. As I've explained before, I am a dreamer. I constantly think about all these incredibly cool things that I'd like to do. And for the most part, they're actually all attainable. So that's essentially what I'm going for; all the cool, realistic things that I'd really like to do while I'm a human on this planet. It's definitely a work in progress, though. I'm still trying to close that gap between dreaming about all these things that I want to do and actually making them happen.

And please understand, I'm not trying to be "Mr. Fun Guy" or what the fuck ever. Everyone has things they want to do, whether it's travel to New Zealand, have children, be content with their career, or care for others. I happen to have quite a few "things" or certainties of how I'd like my life to be that I'm hellbent on making happen. And yes, New Zealand is one of them. So are the other three examples...

All I'm saying is...even though you may not be a religious person, spiritual person, or otherwise, you have to appreciate the fact that we're not going to be here for much longer. Sad? No. Exciting. Because we are here now, and we have endless possibilities in front of us.

Me, for instance: I do want to go to New Zealand...I will. I do want children...I'll get 'em (providing my junk works). I want to incorporate my career with my real life and make a fantastic living...I will. I want to embrace friends and family and do all I can for them...I have and I will.

Deep, mushy, queer...maybe. But that's how it is.

I'm gonna go make a pizza now.





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Save The Day.

Today was a God-awful day. My customers and employees both were all fucktards. It was one of those days where I was on the verge of doing something. Nothing dramatic, just freaking out on someone or something. My neck hurt, my eyelid twitched, and my side ached all day. Crazy what stress can do to you. I had been planning on hitting happy hour with a couple buddies, but with the weather getting shitty and our moods spiraling downward we opted to just head home.

My incredible wife had been texting here and there throughout the day asking if she could meet us at our decided watering hole after work. After my day had turned to absolute shit, I let her know that I had planned on just coming home and staring at the wall, or something equally as brainless. She was cool.

On my way home, in the white-out snow and rush hour traffic, I decided that the bar was probably the place that I needed to go in order to salvage this horrid day. It's a shame to just wad up an entire day and throw it in the trash, so I texted April and we went to The Old Man. The Old Man is literally two minutes from my house, they have ridiculous bbq, and they always have 80s metal playing. Three things that are good, right there.

Today was Rib Tip Thursday. Yesterday was Wing Wednesday--or Wingsday, as some folks cleverly call it. Didn't make it there yesterday. But we did indulge in the $5 Rib Tip Tray and a few cold Coors.

We bitched about how stupid people are as a society, how we miss our friends back home, how our jobs were waring us down--all against the background of Guns 'N Roses, Bullet Boys, and KISS. Then some guy puts money in the jukebox and the music changes!...

It was a noise I had never heard before. It started out sounding like a Johnny Cash or Waylon Jennings tune...then it quickly got faster and started sounding like Glen Danzig singing over Testament and Motorhead...still with a bit of Cash and Jennings. I was intrigued.

I asked the fellow who put the nickel in the jukebox who we were listening to, and he told me a band I had never heard of. Volbeat. I thought that to be a stupid name, especially considering the mood I was in. But the longer it played, the more incredible it became.

This song became the savior of my day. It was exactly what needed to be played to salvage my piece of shit day. It was like God invented a song that sounded like Waylon Jennings, the Misfits, Johnny Cash, and Motorhead, all in one just to palpate my tender, frailed mind that stupid people had nearly destroyed. Classic country combined with punk-driven metal is the only thing that will cure a day like I had today. Trust me.

If you have had a bad day, please listen to this song. Don't bother checking out any of their other songs, they all sound like Godsmack.

Please enjoy.

I Like to Party.

Wow, I've really been slacking on the writing lately. That's okay, though. I've had a lot on my mind, just really nothing that I feel like sharing with the universe. Some business ideas are in motion, some party planning, and a few travel plans have been floating around in my brain.

With the enormous success of Dokken Day 2010, I have decided that not only will DD be celebrated every January, but more epic shindigs need to be thrown. It makes everyone happy. When you get to be 30ish to 40ish, just hanging out at someone's house and getting liquored up is not considered a party like it was when you were 17ish to 25ish. You really need a reason to peel yourself away from your job, your kids, your house in the suburbs, and make the effort to not only go to a shindig, but participate to the fullest extent. That's why I've decided to start throwing larger than average, epic shindigs a few times a year. My buddy, Bryan and I have decided that it's good for the soul.

And why not? Parties nowadays consist of either a couple couples going over to another couple's house and drinking beer and wine while the kids play in the other room. Or a kind of "date night", where said couples meet at a semi-fancy restaurant for cocktails and dinner. All fun, I guess in their own way. But let's be honest, they aren't parties. Sometimes a party just "happens", but not too often at my age. So they have to planned. And to plan a party at this age takes a very strong, determined effort. Dokken Day, which initially was an idea that my sister and I had, was planned out amazingly by my buddy Bryan whom we offered the responsibility to, and he ran with it. It couldn't have turned out any better.

So with that said, there's a new party in making. Everyone that was invited to Dokken Day will be invited to this one. It will happen in the summer, and it will happen outside. It will be very big, and very fun. Trust me.

The way I see it, everyone that I associate with, for the most part, likes a good party. So why not provide good parties for the people that I associate with? It gives us all something to look forward to. The parties are always going to be fantastic. And when they're over with, you have fantastic, blurry memories that make you grin everytime you think about them.

So, my good friends and participants of Dokken Day 2010, please consider yourselves cordially invited to yet another fantastic get together happening this summer. Please trust me when I say that it will be good times.

And just to let you in on a little secret, I've been throwing around plans for a fall shindig as well. If it ends up happening the way I'm thinking it will, it will also be an epic shindig for all of us to savor...

I like to party.


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And The Winner Is......

There were a lot of winners at Dokken Day. My friend Shannon rocked out so hard that she broke her foot. Some of the guys actually got their guitars and learned some sweet 80s metal ballads that we all sang along to. My brother and sister-law traveled three hours to party with people that they had never met. Very, very strong effort from everyone.

But my buddy Jason, he actually wore a pink cod piece with an iron-on of Don Dokken on it. To me, that's the big winner. To me, that's not fucking around. Jason did not fuck around when it came representing DD...he didn't have time for it. Neither did his wife, Kristy, who brought it full bore. They both showed up ready to kick ass. They were about to rock...and I salute them.

To you, Jason and Kristy, I have to say...fuckin' a. fuckin' a.

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